Floating deck



Nov. 25, 1930. A. M. GRIFFIN FLOATING DECK Filed Oct. 8, 1927 www Patented Nov. 25, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT' OFFICE ALVAH M. GRIFFIN, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA., .ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNA'- MENTS, T0 CHICAGO BRIDGE & IRON' COMPANY, 0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A COR- PORATION OF ILLINOIS FLOATING DECK Application filed October 8, 1927.

This invention relates to a floating deck, such for example, as is employed for covering petroleum oil in oil tanks or reservoirs.

In the storage of oil it is the general practice to cover the surface of the oil with a floating deck for the purpose of reducing the evaporation of oil from said'deck and for the purpose of reducing the iire hazard. The most successful decks for this purpose are those which provide an enclosed air chamber or blanket over the top of the oil. By providing a oating deck forming an air blanket over the top of the oil in the tank, the oil is insulated from the transfer of heat from the top of the deck so that the body of the oil in the tank is kept cool and evaporation further reduced. ln the preferred form of oating decks the air chambers are formed by a plurality of individually formed pontoon members attached together with the result that these members may be separately completed and the destruction of one or more of these members by puncturing and otherwise will not cause the deck as a whole to sink. The pontoon form of floating deck also provides means by which a section of the deck may readily be removed for replacement, or repair. Heretofore the pontoon forms of floating decks generally used have required that the pontoons be formed separately before being assembled together, the top wall of the pontoons being welded in place before the pontoons are shipped to the tank where they are to be employed.

It is an obect of the present invention to provide a floating deck of the pontoon type in which the pontoon members are constructed so that one or more of their walls, such as the top walls, may be left detached from the pontoons until ,the pontoons are ready to be assembled in the form of a iioating deck. The Heating deck of the present invention has the pontoons further formed with slightly tapering walls so that the body of the pontoons may be readily nested together when thc same are to be shipped.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a means for-more readily attaching adjacent pontoon members together when the Serial No. 224,786.

same are assembled together for forming a iioating deck.

Various further objects and advantages of thepresent invention will appear from the description of a preferred form of a floating deck embodying the invention. For this purpose there is hereinafter described with reference to the accompanying drawings a preferred form or forms of iioating decks.

Referring to the drawings Figure l is an elevation mainly in vertical section of a number of pontoon members attached together to form a floating deck;

Figure 2 is a fragemntary section of Figure 1 taken on the line 2 2;

Figure 3 is a vertical section on the line 3 3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a vertical section on the line 4--4 of Figure 2; and i Figure 5 is a fragmentary vertical section of a somewhat modified form of attaching means for adjacent pontoon members.

Referring to the drawings,-the floating deck is preferably formed of a plurality of pontoon members 2. Each of said pontoon members is formed substantially completely of sheet metal and provided with'a bottom wall 3 welded or otherwise joined to sheet metal side walls 4 which diverge slightly upwardly so that the different pontoon members 2 when detached from their top walls are adapted to nest together when the same are shipped.

Each of the pontoon members 2 is also provided with a top wall 5 formed with a mar inal upturned flange 6 which is adapted to a ut the upper ends of the side walls 4 of the pontoon members. In use of the deck these top walls 5 are shipped separate from the remainder of the pontoon members. The top walls may be formed so .that they may nest together. When it is desired to assemble the pontoons together to form a floating deck, the pontoons separate from the top walls are positioned one against the other and a gasket or other packing means 7 is placed between the abutting side walls 4 of the pontoon members and the side walls are attached together clamping the gaskets or packing between them by suitable means.

A preferred form of such means is shown as comprising the bolts or rivets 8 disposed near the top of the side walls and further bolts or rivets 9 disposed on the side walls 4 at a point below where the top walls 5 are to be positioned. Where the side walls 4 are made tapering or expanding, the bolts or rivets 9 are set in depressions 10 in the side walls.

After attaching the side walls of the pontoon members 2 together, the tops 5 are then inserted in place and further gaskets or packing 11 are placed between the upstanding marginal flanges 6 of said top walls and the side walls 4. There is then driven over the upper ends of said flanges 6 and side walls 4 a. split tube 12 or other means for clamping the same together. When a split tube is employed, the flanges 6 may have their upper ends turned out as indicated at 13 to better engage the split tubes 12.

Each of the pontoons 2 is preferably provided with one or more air vents 14 for equalizing the pressure inside of the pontoons with the atmospheric pressure and the pontoons 2 are also preferably provided with means by which the water falling on each pontoon may pass to the neXt pontoon in order that the water may, if desired, bc withdrawn from a common point. For this purpose openings 16 are shown connecting the different. pontoons together above their top walls 5. For further sealing the pontoons togetheragainst the escape of gas or oil vapors, the split tubes 12 may be filled with a sealing composition such as indicated at 17 which generally is some form of a bituminous or pitchy composition.

Now referring to Figure 5, a modified method and means for attaching the pontoon members together is illustrated. In Figure 5 the nesting type of pontoon members 2a are shown as having their side walls placed one against the other with a packing or gasket 7 a disposed between said side walls. The top walls 5a of the pontoons are provided with upwardly directed peripheral llanges 6a, and between' the flanges 6a and the side walls further packing or gaskets 11* are disposed. r)The flanges 6a, side walls of the pontoons and the packings or gaskets are all clamped together by a single series of bolts 18.

Preferably the flanges 6a of the tops 5fl are turned outwardly as indicated at 20 to form a sort of trough above the top of the side plates 2El and packings 7a and 11l and such trough is filled with a sealing composition as indicated at 21. Such sealing composition may, for example, be any bituminous or pitchy substance adapted to form a gas-tight seal.

In the use of the floating deck 4of the present invention one or more of the pontoon members 2 may become punctured or otherwise damaged without causing the deck as a whole to sink. Whenever such a pontoon member is damaged, the same may be readily removed from the remainder of the deck and a new pontoon member inserted in its place. The pontoon members are further so formed that they may be nested together in shipping thereby occupying a minimum of space and being capable of shipment at low rates. The pontoon members are further constructed in a simple and economical manner.

`While the particular form of the invention herein described is well adapted to carry out the objects of the invention, it is understood that various modifications and changes may be made without departing from the present invention and the present invention includes all such modifications and changes as come within the scope of the following appended claims.

I claim:

1. A floating deck comprising a plurality of pontoon members formed with bottom walls and upwardly expanding side Walls, whereby said pontoon members may be nested together when the top walls are removed therefrom, top walls for said pontoon members having upwardly extending marginal flanges, split tubes enclosing said marginal flanges and side walls of the pontoon members for attaching the top Walls and pontoon members together, and gaskets between the side walls and flanges of said top walls and gaskets between the side walls of adjacent pontoon members.

2. A floating deck comprising a plurality of pan shaped members adapted to be nested together, said members being placed side by side and attached together at their upper ends, tops for said pan shaped members having upwardly directed flanges, and split tubes clamping the flanges of said tops to the sides of said pans. l

3. A floating deck comprising a plurality of pan shaped members adapted to nest together, means for attaching said members together, tops for said members adapted to form enclosed air chambers with said members, means for attaching said tops to said members, and means for establishing communication between the tops of said members whereby water collecting thereon may all be drained from any one of said members.

4. A floating deck comprising a plurality of pontoon members providing substantially enclosed air chambers for floating the members, said members having outwardly extending flanges adapted to be placed side by side, andvsplit tubes engaging and clamping said flanges together and adapted to hold the pontoon members together.

5. A floating deck comprising a plurality of pontoon members providing substantially enclosed air chambers for floating the members, said members having outwardly extending flanges Vadapted to be placed side by side, spht tubes lengaging and clamping said flanges together and adapted to hold the pontoon members together, and packing means for sealing the spaces between said members.

6. A floating deck comprising a plurality of pontoon members providing substantially enclosed air chambers for floating the members, said members having outwardly extending flanges adapted to be placed side by side, split tubes engaging and clamping said flanges together and adapted to hold the pontoon members together, packing means for sealing the spaces between said members, and a sealing composition placed in said split tubes.

7. 'A floating deck comprising a plurality of pan shaped members adapted to nest together, said members being disposed side by side, tops for said members adapted to form enclosed air chambers with said members, said tops having peripheral flanges extending upwardly adjacent the side walls of the pan shaped members, means for attaching the tops to said pan shaped members and at the same time for attaching adjacent pan shaped members together, the flanges of said tops eX- tending above the tops of the side walls of the pan shaped members to form sealing troughs, and a sealing composition disposed in said sealing trough.

8. A floating deck formed of a plurality of pontoon members having detachable top walls, and means for attaching the top walls to said pontoon members and for attaching adjacent pontoon members together.

9. A floatingdeck c/omprising, a plurality of pontoon members formed with bottom walls and upwardly extending side walls, top walls for said pontoon members formed independently of the bottom and side walls and detachable therefrom, `said top walls forming, when attached to the bottom and side walls, an enclosed air chamber for caen pontoon member, means for attaching the tops in position, and means for connecting a plurality of pontoon members together rigidly to form a continuous deck of predetermined area.

Signed at Los Angeles, California, this 28th day of September, 1927.

ALVAH M.. GRlFFllN. 

